Saudi Arabia coach Herve Renard has included midfielder Salman Al-Faraj in his 26-man World Cup squad, despite him suffering a shoulder injury in a friendly on Sunday.
Al-Hilal’s Al-Faraj, captain of the national team, was withdrawn at half-time in the match in which Saudi Arabia beat Iceland 1-0, but will be fit to play in the tournament, Renard said.
“About Salman, we got scared, I think like all Saudi fans, when he fell and couldn’t continue the match. He has something in his shoulder, there is pain but he will be fine in a few days,” the French coach said in a video published by the team on Twitter.
Saudi Arabia will play in Group C of the World Cup in Qatar together with Argentina, Mexico and Poland.
List of summoned:
Goalkeepers: Mohamed Al-Owais (Al-Hilal), Nawaf Al-Aqidi (Al-Nassr), Mohamed Al-Yami (Al-Ahly).
Defenders: Yasser Al-Shahrani (Al-Hilal), Ali Al-Bulaihi (Al-Hilal), Abdulelah Al-Amri (Al-Nassr), Abdullah Madu (Al-Nassr), Hassan Tambakti (Al-Shabab), Sultan Al -Ghanam (Al-Nassr), Mohamed Al-Breik (Al-Hilal), Saud Abdulhamid (Al-Hilal).
Midfielders: Salman Al-Faraj (Al-Hilal), Riyadh Sharahili (Abha), Ali Al-Hassan (Al-Nassr), Mohamed Kanno (Al-Hilal), Abdulelah Al-Malki (Al-Hilal), Sami Al-Najei (Al-Nassr), Abdullah Otayf (Al-Hilal), Nasser Al-Dawsari (Al-Hilal), Abdulrahman Al-Aboud (Ittihad), Salem Al-Dawsari (Al-Hilal), Hattan Bahebri (Al-Shabab).
Forwards: Fahad Al-Muwallad (Al-Shabab), Haitham Asiri (Al-Ahly), Saleh Al-Shehri (Al-Hilal) Firas Al-Buraikan (Al-Fateh).